NHL notebook: Belfour leads Hall class

Wednesday

Jun 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMJun 29, 2011 at 9:45 AM

Eddie the Eagle is a Hall of Famer.

Eddie the Eagle is a Hall of Famer.

Former All-Star goalie Ed Belfour was elected yesterday to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, joining Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and Joe Nieuwendyk as the newest class of inductees.

The four former NHL All Stars were chosen by the Hall of Fame's 18-member selection committee. The induction ceremony will be held on Nov. 14.

Belfour, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goalie, posted 484 wins - third on the NHL career list - and 76 shutouts during a 17-year career during which he played for Chicago, San Jose, Dallas, Toronto and Florida.

"It is hard to put into words what this means to me," Belfour said. "I would like to thank all of my teammates and people along the way who helped me achieve my hockey dreams."

Belfour, whose distinctively decorated facemask earned him the nickname "Eddie the Eagle," won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999. He also was the Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 1991 as the NHL's top rookie.

Gilmour played 20 years in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup in 1989. He finished with more than 1,400 career points.

Howe, son of Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, retired in 1995. He switched from forward to defense early in his career and was a runner up for the Norris Trophy three times.

"I was elated to have this dream come true," Howe said. "To actually have my name in the Hall of Fame with my dad will mean so much to my family."

Nieuwendyk is the currently the general manager of the Stars. He won the Stanley Cup with three teams - Calgary, Dallas and New Jersey - and also helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

"I am humbled and honored to be voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame," Nieuwendyk said. "This is a tremendous honor."

Flyers move on after deal

The No. 17 Jeff Carter jerseys still hang in the window of the Philadelphia Flyers' merchandise store.

Time to move them to the clearance aisle.

Wayne Simmonds has that number now, and when he pulled it on for the first time, the reality of last week's big, bold trades hit Philadelphia. Carter and Mike Richards are gone. It's time to make room for the new guys.

They were part of the two biggest deals in recent Flyers history.

And now, Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Jake Voracek say they're ready to fill the void left by Richards and Carter. Wearing matching team polo shirts, the trio was introduced at the Wells Fargo Center, five days after being acquired by the Flyers in two separate blockbuster trades.

They believe they can win the Stanley Cup.

"I don't feel any added pressure," Simmonds said. "I'm going to come in here and play my game. I'm a rough-and-tumble winger. I go up-and-down the wall, take pucks to the net. That's what I'm going to stick to."

The Flyers acquired Schenn and Simmonds from the Kings for Richards, their captain. Voracek came over from the Blue Jackets in the Carter deal.